Back in January, I showed you why field service automation is a great idea. If you’re still not using a tool like Synchroteam, though, something’s obviously gone wrong.
You’ve hit a roadblock.
This roadblock is most likely coming from somewhere else in the company. Obviously, if you’re the one reading these articles, agreeing with me, and trying to convince your co-workers to do the same, then the hold-up is coming from somewhere else. Where?
The money people
If the hold-up is coming from the money people, they are CRAZY (or perhaps know something you don’t?). Better to suss it out before wading in there making accusations! Field service automation is likely one of the most dollar-happy decisions your company will make, period. Why? Automation saves money. A tool like Synchroteam costs chump change to set up, and can be cancelled at any time. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ll have to train the tech people – or get more of them – to use a tool, because it’s simply not true!
FSM automation saves money in various ways, but just for starters, it frees up employees from manual tasks, so they can shine at what they’re really good at, it eliminates the risk of human error, privacy breaches, and the dangers presented by the manual handling of documents (loss, destruction, theft). It makes your employees happier, and therefore more productive. Because honestly, who enjoys Excel? Oh, you do? I’m afraid that’s not a problem I can help you with today. Let’s move on…
The management people
The benefits of field service automation should also be crystal clear to management, for many of the same reasons it should be to the money people. It makes your business more effective and leaner, better prepared for moving forward. It lets those who need to strategize, research and plan, rather than typing them up in minutiae. No matter who is using automation software, it saves time, and time, as Benjamin Franklin once reminded us, is money. Better still, when all this sleek efficiency propels your company straight into a bright new future, it’s scalable, so unlike departments and people, it won’t have trouble keeping up.
The field service techs
If you’re meeting resistance to field service automation from the field service technicians themselves, you’ve got a harder job in front of you. In fact, it’s an issue we’ll be dealing with in a future article. In the meantime, make sure you are genuinely listening to objections, and framing replies from THEIR point of view, not yours. Ultimately, most employees will enjoy the increased independence, autonomy, and access to information automation will present, it just might take you a little longer to convince them.
You can lead a horse to water….
Don’t let others’ doubts get the better of you. Field service automation – automating any business area, in fact – is the way forward, and will only bring untold value to your company. Wordk out who’s holding things back, and try your hardest to convince them. This article might also help.
If you’ve tried your hardest, however, and no one is budging, well, maybe it’s time to start thinking about yourself rather than the company. You can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long. If your company won’t welcome the changes, maybe it’s time to seek out an employer who will.
Image “Madrid on fire” with thanks to Montecruz Foto
